Sophie's Moving Heart
by meenist
Summary: As dictated by the curse, Sophie must be Justin's true love. Yet, Howl is Sophie's! What's gonna happen? Read it, I dare ya.
1. Chapter 1

The sun is beautiful until you're standing under it and you've forgotten your hat. Sophie cursed herself as she pored over dozens of fruits and vegetables sweating in their little wooden carts. She checked the grocery list in her hand as the midday sun beat against the top of her head. Carrots, apples, pears, potatoes… Oh forget it, there was no concentration to be had in this heat. She breathed in deeply, straightening her body and surveying the scene. Everyone was similarly affected; customers looked like boiled slugs. They dragged themselves about the square, complaining to each other about the hot air and the crowded fruit stands. Still, no one was feeling the temperature quite as hard as Sophie, who was covered from neck to toe in thick, navy cotton.

She took another deep breath, swallowing. The stiff collar about her throat reminded her that it was on the heat's side, threatening to strangle her. Nevertheless, her tradition of dressing modestly was one she refused to shake, even when it meant discomfort. At least her hat would've warded off some of it, having been enchanted by Howl some time ago to keep her cool under all circumstances. But she'd been stupid and in a hurry, and the hat was sitting expectantly on the table back in the castle. She moved to glance at the list again, but it was gone. She set her basket down, patted her pockets, checked the ground, looked under the cart…nothing. She begrudgingly picked up the first apple she saw and threw it into her wicker container.

"Psst," whispered a sudden voice to her left. She turned in time to see a white gloved hand snatch the apple from the air. The glove's arm retracted to its body, bringing the fruit to its face and sniffing. The eyes were obscured by the brim of a white top hat, but the nose was pointy, the lips thin and curved in a knowing smile. "This is a bad apple."   
"Prince Justin!" Sophie shouted. Justin dropped the apple and grabbed the sides of his hat, pulling it farther down over his face.

"Shhh!" He looked around nervously, relieved only when it was certain the rest of the customers were quite busy with themselves and had no use for a tall boy in a yellow suit and a white hat.

Sophie smiled a little, the surprise wearing off now. "If you were going for an incognito look, the bowtie gives you away."

"It was enough to deceive you, miss Sophie." He was sifting through the apples now, leaning over her shoulder and fingering through the seemingly identical red masses. "Horrible day to leave these out in this temperature. Not even a canopy for the tomatoes!"

"Tomatoes soak in the heat," Sophie answered, also separating shriveled apples from juicy ones automatically. "They could do with a little sun."

"But it seems young ladies are not as keen to the heat!" She saw him nod at her in her peripheral vision. She was indeed sweating, her dress sticking to her back and her hair matted against the sides of her face. She must have looked dreadful. She turned her face completely away from his and attempted a quick smoothing of her bangs.

"Don't be ridiculous," Justin said, leaning away and blocking the sun completely. Sophie was able to turn around and look up at him now. He was dry, his blonde hair peeking out from underneath the hat, perfectly unfrizzed. Even his eyes, now revealed to be smiling down at her, were sparkling a blue like cool ice.

"You're wearing more than I am. How do you do it?" She willed herself to look unfazed by the weather.

"My father doesn't keep powerful wizards around for nothing," he said sweetly as he plopped his hat on the top of her head. She was refreshed immediately, a breeze like clean, airy mint, and something unquestionably Justin-like, wafted over her entire body. It jolted her achey muscles and bones into working order and she sighed in relief. Thinking of Howl and his similar magic charm, she seemed unimpressed.

"I have one of these," she readjusted the hat on her head.

"Oh?" he looked mildly surprised, and a bit wilted under the sudden sunlight, but he smiled. "And you came outside without it? That's very much like you Sophie, always losing your hats and your shawls."

"I didn't lose it!" she protested, turning back to the apples. She scooped one up to put it in her basket. It was overflowing with all of the things on her list. On the top of the pile was a large, smooth turnip. She gasped and looked to Justin, but he was gone. She stood in shocked silence for a few moments before heaving the basket under her arm by the handle. She nearly fell sideways with its weight. Please, she asked it silently, please allow me to carry you where I need to go! The basket grew lighter and Sophie began to sprint through the crowd. It didn't take her long to see Prince Justin moving ahead of her, against the flow of pedestrian traffic. He may have been clever but he certainly wasn't a wizard, and so instead of disappearing he was only walking away, a cheerful bounce in his step. His jacket was slung over his arm as he skipped away.

Sophie caught up to him, readjusting the growing weight of her fruits and vegetables. "Turnip!" He twitched, startled, then looked down at her.

"You caught me!" Then, as if he'd just realized, "Did I forget something on the list?" He furrowed his brow.

"No," she laughed, "I wanted to thank you. Why did you run away?"

"Cunning exits aren't only for wizards, miss Sophie. Royalty must show a bit of intriguing flare now and then. But come to think of it, it wasn't much of an exit at all. Here you are, ruining it." He smiled again.

She laughed a bit guiltily. "I only wanted to-" She tripped on an overturned cobblestone in her struggle to keep up with his long strides. She half-expected Justin to catch her, but when he didn't, she stuck her second leg out and righted herself. She stood unsteadily and turned to him, flushed with embarrassment. Justin was balancing seven potatoes in one hand, three carrots an a peach in the other, a totem pole of plums on the top of his head, and one half empty basket on the sole of a foot whose leg was dangling in the air. "Whew! Not a spill to be had." He wavered a little, then spun, dropping everything carefully into the food purse. "Who says ballet is only for girls?" He chuckled at himself and walked up to Sophie, concern spreading over his features. "Are you hurt?"

"No," she said quickly, ironing out the new wrinkles in her skirt with the palms of her hands. "Just clumsy."

"I see," he said, glaring at the rock which sat smugly in the middle of the walkway. "Excuse me for a moment." He walked swiftly to the rock and kicked it clear off the path and into a cart, which buckled and spilled fresh bananas everywhere. He came walking back stiffly, smiling uneasily as a crowd of bewildered merchants circled about the stand behind him. "Did you see that miss Sophie? Making trouble even when being punished!"

Sophie had a hand over her mouth and was giggling almost uncontrollably. She only stopped as Justin folded his arms angrily, looking embarrassed and quite ruffled. He was sweating now. "I'm sorry," she said between laughs, "It's just…"

"I know," he said dismissively. He handed off the basket of food to Sophie, who nearly re-tripped herself under the burden. Without a moment's hesitation he pulled it from her hands by the handle. Sophie righted herself as Justin looked out over the town. "Which house is your delightful castle connected to? I'll transport these groceries to the doorstep."

"Actually," she said sheepishly, "Calcifer isn't connected to any of these buildings. I took the long way into town. The castle should be meeting me up on the hill."

"The hill," he repeated thoughtfully. "Rather vague."

"It isn't so vague, considering it's the only hill I climbed before first seeing the castle. And you."

"And me," he repeated again. There was silence for a moment before he looked past the road into the grassy plain beyond. "Shall I transport you and your vegetables, miss Sophie?"

She looked up at the sky. The sun wouldn't be gone for another few hours. It was a half hour walk to the hill where the flying castle would settle. Why did she choose the long route, today? Perhaps it was the fact that days were lonely without Howl. It wasn't often that he was missing from the castle, but on times when he was called in for official business with one king or another, he could be gone for days. This was one of those times, and in the three days that he had been out on various errands, Sophie found herself filling time with sewing, cooking, and more recently, long walks to the market. Today the basket was unbearably heavy, the path long, and the walk bound to be lonely. She wouldn't mind the company, and turniphead hadn't seen the castle since he became Prince Justin once again. Markl and Calcifer might be excited to see him. And she could cook him a fabulous dinner as a thank you for his help.

"Sophie?" he tapped her shoulder hesitantly. "Have I lost you?"

"Oh!" she had indeed been lost in a thought pattern he was unable to join. "Yes. I would be delighted if you'd walk me to the castle. And if you would stay for supper, of course."

Justin was taken aback. He hopped backwards a step and bowed smartly, his head dipped quite low, the basket sticking out awkwardly. "Thank you for your hospitality. I would be honored."

The market was beginning to clear due to the stifling heat. Sophie and Prince Justin began to follow suit, moving towards the misty mountains far in the distance. Sophie decided she must have twisted her ankle when she tripped, for every step on her left foot brought her a twinge of pain. She ignored it for a good five minutes, but as they left level land and began to climb, she developed a noticeable limp.

"Sophie," Justin said, observing her legs, "You _are_ hurt."

"No," she said, a tad breathless, "Just a little stiff from the fall."

He stopped short and stilled her with a large hand against her shoulder. "It won't do you any good to keep putting pressure on it." He put his free hand over his eyes like a visor and looked back at the town, too far to walk quickly back to now, then up the hill, still a good fifteen minutes away. "Hm…"

"I'm fine, truly!" Sophie began to walk again, stumbling. Suddenly, the hurt was too much. It was as if Justin's mention of it had excited her foot into rebellion.

"Aha," he said almost haughtily, "You're incapacitated."

"Hardly!" She took a daring step forward and gritted her teeth in pain. She tried to turn this into a wide smile, which only served to threaten the prince into taking a step back.

"The monster bares her fangs!"

Sophie found this to be a very Howl-ish response, and in effect she softened and began to laugh. "It does hurt a little," she admitted slowly. "But there really is no time to complain. I have to get home to Markl!"

He turned skyward. "No wizard Howl to call?" He peered at the clouds as if the man might be waiting behind one of them. A welcome breeze rustled past them, carrying a few leaves, a warm scent, and no Howl.

"No," she said, walking determinedly again, "He's off on silly errands for people like you."

He caught the bitterness in her words and frowned. "I assure you miss Sophie, people like me ask little of their hired help. I would only ask for assistance in matters where it was honestly required. Something that you should be doing, now that I think of it." He watched her limp a few more steps before cutting her off and kneeling in front of her. "Up you go now."

She stopped, staring at his back questioningly. "Pardon?"

Justin sat the basket beside him and wrapped his arms backwards and behind each of her knees. Then, with a little 'hmph' of exertion, he stood straight, taking Sophie with him. She yelped loudly and clung to the back of his shirt for stability, nearly slipping and yanking his bowtie until it choked him.

"Sophie," he strained, "It's all right. I've got you. Could you… loosen your grip--" he coughed—"a little?"

"Oh!" she released the tie, listening to him take a deep breath as she placed her hands delicately on his sweating shoulders. "I'm sorry." Then, realizing she was wearing a skirt, she began to struggle again. "Put me down! I can walk!"

He laughed. "I said it's all right, Sophie!" He shifted a little, moving his arms under her legs so that he could reach down and pick up the basket. She could feel his fingers probing the backs of her thighs in his attempt to keep a firm grasp on her. Even with the enchanted hat, Sophie felt her face grow incredibly warm. "Really your highness, I can--"

"Formalities now, Sophie? Trust me." He began to walk forward, carrying her on his back like a small child. Compared to his long, wiry build, she did look much like a little girl clinging to him from behind. The clouds passed silently over their heads, casting the occasional shadow over the pair as they climbed the shallow, grassy mountain. Wind played in the weeds and through the petals of flowers, rustling gently. The air was heavy but Sophie could barely feel it, trapped against Justin's back and under the influence of his hat's magic, she had the sudden urge to sleep. Conversation was light, casual, as typical as any discussion about the weather could get, and then Sophie was leaning her cheek against one warm, working shoulder blade, her eyelids heavy and fluttering. She thought about the thickness of his shirt, even with the jacket removed, and then how it felt to press her face against Howl's thin silky top , the white one that was so big it endangered the baring of one, perfect shoulder...


	2. Chapter 2

Here's chapter 2 for the maybe 1.5 people that read this... I'm so busy, I barely ever have time to update. I actually wrote this a long time ago. Sorry for mistakes. Weeeeeeeeeee... read on!

* * *

"Sophie," someone was saying, "Sophie, I think it's ready."

She opened her eyes groggily, taking in her surroundings. She was in the castle, sitting in a chair before the hearth, her naked, purpling foot propped up on its edge by a pile of soft bed pillows most likely taken from Howl's room. She jumped with a start, yanking her leg away from its comfortable position and slamming her foot against the floor. With a cry of pain, Markl and Calcifer were all crowding around her.

"Sophie!" Markl was struggling to pick her foot up again, causing more bad then good. She winced. "You sprained your ankle!"

"And fell asleep, too," she added, feeling the top of her head and realizing the hat was gone. "I was so tired."

"The sun'll do that to ya," Calcifer said, his flames licking in long tails about the hearth everywhere but at her foot, which Markl set back in its place. "I told you not to walk today. But no, you had to be stubborn. Now look! Howl's not going to be pleased with me."

"Not when he sees you're using his pillows for a dirty old foot!" she leaned to remove them but Markl glared at her, making her stop.

"Howl won't care when he knows it's for you, Sophie! You have to rest!" Sophie sat back in her chair, defeated. She caught her breath while Markl went running around behind her where he couldn't be seen. "Turniphead, she's awake!"

Sophie forced the chair around a bit to see Justin sitting in a small chair at Markl's desk. She'd cleaned it herself this morning, but it was once again cluttered with the crinkled papers and pens and ingredients all wizards would need to practice the magic homework assigned to them. The prince was leaning over the desk, examining a pile of colorful dust through an eyeglass he had pushed up against one of his eyes. Before she could say anything, he looked up, taking the mini microscope away from his glistening iris. "Markl can't get used to calling me Justin," he said pleasantly, "so I told him he could call me Turniphead."

"Turniphead and me are making a spell to cure your foot!"

"I told them to leave it to Howl," Calcifer interjected, "But they wouldn't listen. They're gunna get me in trouble Sophie. You'll vouch for me won't you?"

Sophie blinked sleepily and watched Justin and Markl as they turned away and continued their work. Markl was of course the driving force in the spell-making, and although Sophie felt a bit more comfortable knowing the active parts of the spell were being governed by someone who knew what they were, she wouldn't trust any part of her body to a wizard-in-training. Justin was completely absorbed in the topic, listening intently as Markl chattered on about different herbs and powders and what they would do, and how color effected potency, and what the difference was between spoken and written and edible spells, and how to weave a spell into cloth… it sounded a lot like Markl was spouting off everything from his last lesson with Howl. After hearing a 'And that, my dear boy, is how you make an enchanted flower', Sophie knew he was repeating his master's words verbatim.

Justin swept the dust he made into a cauldron and walked over to Sophie. His bowtie was undone and his shirt untidy, untucked, and hanging open. His hair had lost its bob and his cheeks and the bridge of his nose were stained in a pink, sunburned way. If she narrowed her eyes at him, which she did, he looked a lot like Howl. Less feminine, perhaps, and a bit sturdier, but certainly they could have come from long lost relatives some time deep in the past.

"You're looking at me like you've seen a ghost," he said worriedly, putting the cauldron over Calcifer, who began to cook its contents. His voice lightened and he smiled. "But Markl and I are going to fix you right up!"

Sophie watched Justin's profile as he leaned over the cauldron, muttering insecurely to Calcifer about what his concoction was becoming. Within a few moments time he produced from the pot a long, flat, brown slab with a set of tongs clasped between his gloved fingers. "Is it supposed to look like this?" he asked, panicky.

"Yes!" Markl ran over and sniffed at the hanging mass. "Yeap, just like it's supposed to. Put it on before it gets cold!"

Sophie began to protest, but Justin flopped the brown salve onto her bruised ankle. It was very warm, but pleasantly so. It made strange slurping and popping noises on her foot. It even began to bubble a bit, losing some of its solid consistency. Over all, it was very comforting, hugging her heel and squeezing the hurt out of it with hot compassion.

"Now you have to rub it in," Markl said proudly.

Justin paled, raised an eyebrow, and turned to Markl. "I have to what?"

"Oh fine, I'll do it," Markl pushed past the prince and grabbed hold of Sophie's foot. His tiny fingers pushed against the bottom of her toes, doing little more than tickling them. Sophie closed her eyes against his unbearably feathery touch. She giggled and held herself from squirming. "M-Markl! It tickles too much!"

One large, soft hand closed hesitantly over her foot. A strong thumb pressed against its bottom, massaging with rough but tender uncertainty. Sophie opened one eye to see Justin handling her foot like a man terrified of himself. He was using his teeth to pull the glove of his other hand off by a fingertip, spitting it onto the ground beside him and grabbing hold of her ankle with his bare palm. He made sure never to meet eyes with her, even as her gaze burned a hole in his forehead. He concentrated hard on his work, his long fingers slipping over her ankle and kneading the magic spell into her skin. The gentle intensity of his hands made her dizzy, disoriented, and each time he pressed on the sole her breath caught and her stomach twisted. He must have heard her ragged breathing, for he looked up at her face, immediately turning a shade three times deeper than his sunburn. By now the brown brew was absorbed into her flesh. He had stopped in his massaging. There was a moment of quiet and then, keeping his curious eyes on hers, he pressed the pads of his thumbs keenly against the sensitive bottom of her foot again. Her stomach sizzled, she gasped, his eyes widened, and he let go of her at once. Her foot hit the floor and she prepared herself for pain, but there was nothing more than a bit of shock that traveled up her calf into her knee. She examined her ankle, which had turned its normal color and size, and looked up to see Justin rinsing his hands quite thoroughly in the sink.

"It worked!" Markl was running about the room, hooting and hollering at himself. "Yeah! I did it! We did it Turniphead!"

"Yes we did!" he exclaimed a bit shakily, turning off the faucet and air drying his hands. "Are you all right now, miss Sophie?"

"I'm fine," she answered, a little amazed that Markl had been so competent. She finally regained her wit and turned to the little boy. "I suppose you did so well because you wanted your dinner!"

He patted his stomach. "Nah, Master Howl's left me without food for longer than this, and I did just fine!"

Justin gasped, appalled. "Well we should get you something to eat right away!" He dashed to nowhere in particular, stopping and turning to the others. "I now know where all the magical supplies are kept… but what about the food?"

"I've got it, I've got it." Sophie said, getting to her feet. Her foot felt revitalized. She spun and hopped happily on it until she noticed everyone was watching her. Justin had a huge smile on his face, which he wiped off as soon as she looked at him.

Dinner was prepared amongst so many "let me help you"'s from Justin that she felt herself growing annoyed. She ordered him to sit at the table without another word. He did so very quickly, taking her biting tone to heart. He spent the rest of the time before the food was ready sitting in his chair, shocked into silence, petting the fat errand dog Heen and communicating to him through scowls and voiceless sighs.

Sophie decided she did a pretty good job for being a one-woman restaurant, cooking everything quite perfectly. Meats and pastas and salads, meals she'd learned to whip up quickly in her boredom without Howl. She placed them all down on the table in various saucers and pots and plates and goblets, throwing the scraps to a ravenous Calcifer. In the end, it was much more than the small family could eat. Justin gulped a frothy drink and pulled the mug away from his face, upper lip sporting a milky mustache in its wake. "This is delicious! You must be hired as head chef at the palace, right away!"

Sophie didn't know how to answer this, so she simply smiled, bowing her head graciously. She finished what was on her plate and reached for the deserts tray. These were also homemade, but having been baked earlier in the day, they were readily accessible. She took a cookie to her plate while Markl piled a dozen on his. There was a lot of chewing and drinking, barely enough room for talk, until six out of eight trays were completely emptied. Everyone sat back in their chairs, forcing back burps and hiccups, except for Markl who belched loudly into the silence. Heen wheezed in disdain.

"Oh my…" Justin began, attempting to stretch but groaning instead, "This was by far the best dinner I've ever had." Sophie blushed when she realized he wasn't just flattering her. The seriousness on his face forced her to look aside. She cleared her throat.

"Well, time to clean up."

It was much later when Justin finally bid his farewell to the family. The castle landed as close to his castle as it could without being detected as he redressed himself. Sophie retied his bowtie after watching him fail three times.

"Thanks," he said, red yet again, "I suppose that's something I should learn." She agreed as she pushed his hat into his hands, but he pushed back. "No. You keep it. It'll give me a reason to come back tomorrow." He grinned and disappeared for real this time, the darkness swallowing him whole. Sophie smiled to herself as she imagined Justin reading Markl's notes, teaching himself how to master this trick. He'd gotten the exit he desired after all. She watched the night path for a few moments before Calcifer closed the door on her.


End file.
